"Don't be so apt to...fill your house with food and water."

In response to my blog post People are Terrified to Death concerning the Egyptian riots and the shortage of food and water that was plaguing the citizens of Cairo, a reader sent the following comment:

Look, don't be so apt to go out and fill your house with food and water. Just imagine what will happen when everyone in your neighborhood that has no food or water will do when they realize you have plenty. They'll stop at nothing to get it from you.

I confess I find this a baffling approach. Does this mean no one should ever do anything to prepare for a disaster? That the people in the path of the massive snowstorm that hit the middle and eastern United States last week should have just sat there and twiddled their thumbs in case the neighbors had no food?

Or, addressing the Egyptian situation, is it better to have no food or water in the house when rioting strikes (thus assuring your family goes hungry or thirsty, or that you literally risk your life to go to the grocery store)? Or is it better to have plenty of food and water to ensure your family's comfort and hopefully have enough to share with hungry neighbors?

I would like to think the person leaving this comment isn't suggesting it's better to go hungry in the face of a calamity rather than take some sensible precautions. Then why leave such a comment? I confess I find it baffling and would welcome some clarification from the person who left it.

"People are terrified to death."

In Egypt, airports are thronged by foreigners desperate to leave. Rioters are scoffing at curfews. Food is running short. Police presence is virtually gone (doubtless police officers are home protecting their own families and properties). The internet was shut down. Prisons are emptying, with dangerous criminals roaming the streets. Across the Cairo, work has come to a standstill and schools are closed.

(Photo by AFP/Miguel Medina)

Whatever the political cause of these riots – and I’ve heard several different explanations – the riots are now feeding on themselves. Sadly, it’s the ordinary people who are taking the brunt of the unrest. The everyday business owners, residents, workers, and schoolchildren are the ones having their lives disrupted. Ordinary cosmopolitan law-abiding people who are suddenly called to defend their persons and property from gangs of roaming thugs.

(Photo by Reuters/Asmaa Waguih)

According to this article, people are braving the riots to stock up on bottled water and essential foodstuffs.

"There's no cash in the ATMs, there's something like 5,000 prisoners roaming the streets and there's no security," said May Sadek, a public relations agent who lives in the middle class Dokki neighborhood. There have been jail breaks from at least four prisons around Cairo in recent days.

In the absence of police protection, gangs of thugs have been looting and setting fire to buildings and cars. They've cleaned out supermarkets and shopping malls, homes and apartments. Men are forming neighborhood defense committees and arming themselves with guns, clubs, and knives in order to protect their families and homes.

For those skeptical about the attachment Americans have for their firearms, here’s a classic example of why it’s awfully nice to have a means to defend one’s self. Police protection isn’t always available, especially on an individual level.

For those skeptical about the obsession Preppers have for stockpiling food, water, and other necessities, here’s a classic example of why it’s awfully nice to have what you need already within the house, so you don’t have to risk your life out on the streets or fight other desperate residents for bottled water or a bag of beans.